by Jenika McCrayer, Staff Writer

The Final Girls Berlin Film Festival is recognized as one of the best genre festivals in the world, and has championed women, nonbinary, and transgender filmmakers for a decade. It’s tenth edition will run from Wednesday, March 5 until Sunday, March 9, 2025.

If you haven’t been living under a rock—or even if you’ve just recently crawled out from under one— you may be aware that the global state of affairs for women and other marginalized genders is dire. As a woman and Certified Horror Freak, I’m excited that this festival exists to push boundaries and to get a taste of the horrors of being marginalized in our current political climate.

Can’t make it to Berlin? Me neither. Luckily, select screenings and films are accessible virtually for genre fans worldwide to enjoy! Find out how to watch here.

Features

Mi Bestia
Directed by Camila Beltrán
Berlin Premiere March 5
Tickets here

The festival kicks off with Mi Bestia, a film about 13 year old Mila going though “transformations” (read: puberty) while her community in Bogota prepares for the approaching lunar eclipse, fearing that it may also bring the devil. Mila begins to suspect that her transformations may have something to do with the prophecy. Talk about teen angst.

Double Feature
Screens March 6

The Substance
Written and Directed by Coralie Fargeat
Tickets here

Grafted
Directed by Sasha Rainbow
Tickets here

And the angst keeps building! Final Girls Berlin are also presenting a brilliant Double Feature of the multi-Academy Award nominated and Horror Herstory-making film The Substance, along with Grafted, a beautiful debut from filmmaker Sasha Rainbow.

The Substance and Grafted both ask the same question: how far would you go to be accepted and adored? The Substance follows aging starlet Elisabeth (Demi Moore) in her quest to remain in the spotlight, while Grafted follows teenager Wei (Joyena Sun) on her freaky journey to be one of the popular girls. Women filmmakers are slaying the body horror subgenre right now, reminding us that the endless and fruitless pursuit of beauty and perfection knows no age.

I Saw the TV Glow
Written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun
Screens March 8
Tickets here

The acclaimed feature I Saw The TV Glow will also be featured at this festival. The nineties nostalgia film follows suburban teenager Owen (Justice Smith) as his view of reality begins to crack after being introduced to a late-night TV show.

Shorts

Final Girls Berlin are also offering several short film blocks that each tackle an issue pertinent to women. The blocks I’m most excited for: Revenge, Capitalist Horror/Eat the Rich, Grief, and Pop Horror/Carnivalesque. Tickets for the shorts blocks are available here.

Events

Here are some in-person events I wish I could attend:

NIGHTCRAWLERS
March 7
Tickets here

NIGHTCRAWLERS is Berlin’s only queer immersive horror experience, with performances and interactive storytelling in a multisensory environment. Sounds so cool!!

That Very Witch: Fear, Feminism, and the American Witch Film
March 9
Tickets here

Writer and film critic Payton McCarthy-Simas is giving a timely lecture on the evolution of witches as a feminist symbol in pop culture.

Pretty Deadly Female Rage Workshop
March 9
Tickets here

Learn how to chew bubblegum and kick ass in this workshop centered on female rage. This beginner-friendly self defense class is led by martial artist Julia Brasch and queer activist Patricia Zegarra. Pretty Deadly has been empowering women and other marginalized genders since 2016.

Congratulations to the Final Girls Berlin Film Festival for shocking us for ten years! Hell yeah!

The Final Girls Berlin Film festival runs from Wednesday, March 5 to Sunday, March 9, 2025. Tickets can be found here. Additional fest coverage from MovieJawn can be found here.

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